Cognitive biases in communication and marketing 10 examples

Cognitive biases in communication and marketing every day are more used by many publicists, then, most yearning to guide users' purchase decisions.

A cognitive bias in communication and marketing It could be defined as a type of error that occurs at the unconscious level and that leads the person to make decisions in certain areas of everyday life.

This happens a lot, for example, when deciding whether to buy something or not, and that is why the knowledge of cognitive biases in communication and marketing begins to arouse the curiosity of many people.

Cognitive biases in communication and marketing

Most people, not aware, make decisions in everyday life and this is an aspect to which publicists can take advantage of.

It is then that the issue of cognitive biases in communication and marketing begins to become interesting, because, at the time of deciding, without the person even noticing, a false reasoning that leads to undertake an action can be used.

For organizations and business every day it is more important to understand how the human mind works when deciding.

A decision can make a business work or fail, as well as you can make a product have many purchases, or stay stagnant.

Traditionally, the human mind has been divided into two systems; One of them is called one and the other system, system two. With this division the authors try to establish a difference in patterns when deciding.

According to this division, The system would be responsible for carrying out those trials that do not merit any kind of effort, but they occur spontaneously or automatic.

Instead, System Dos, performs operations with more slow, The judgments that elaborate require more effort, in addition, are limited by the amount of information to be processed.

The two system is the one in charge of working on those operations that are more complex.

It is because of that The system one is the most dominant and this is the system that operates by default when making decisions. Therefore, it is affected by a greater amount of errors.

Starting from this, many economists and behavioral psychologists have identified many cognitive and heuristic biases that can lead a person to make a decision, although it can be contrary to logic.

In this sense, the author Jorge Carballo Suñer, in his study on “cognitive biases: humans and businesses”, defines them as a systematic pattern of judgment or evaluation that deviates from the norm or rationality.

That is, it understands that cognitive bias is a way of processing information, many times at an unconscious level, which does not attend to logical reasoning, so It could be classified, in a way, as "something defective", or a "factory defect" of the mind.

Cognitive biases and the ability to anticipate behaviors

Given the above, it is that cognitive biases in communication and marketing charge relevance, therefore, knowledge of this issue allows advertising agencies to anticipate what behaviors a user will assume.

Thus, in each product, publicists focus on strategies by resorting to cognitive biases.

Some of the most used cognitive biases and marketing are the following:

1. He Bandwagon Effect: in which the numbers are used to try to convince. This is one of the most used biases, and also more successful, because many come to take something for real because the rest does so. It is not the same to say: "This product is great", to say "this product has been bought by more than three thousand women". It gives more result if the subject of the public to which it is oriented is included: doctors, mothers, professionals, women, among others.
2. Ben Franklin Effect: or offer some resources in exchange for obtaining data. Example of this cognitive bias could be accessing an exclusive promotion, or a discount, but, in return, the user must provide their data.
3. The aversion: or the aversion to loss. It is a bias that, like the principle of scarcity, generates anxiety and creates the need for purchase in the user such as, for example, when it is told that an offer has a limited time, it cannot let it escape, or that will not be repeated.
4. Frame bias: When information occurs in another way, even if it is the same, to cause greater conviction. For example, if an NGO is looking for a donation, instead of saying that each contribution will save 7 out of 10 children somewhere in the world, then it states that, if a donation is not made, 3 out of 10 in 10 children will be condemned To go hungry. Although the information is the same, the second way of expressing the cause more shock.
5. Confirmation bias: in which the information on which the person focuses is that which confirms their previous beliefs. In marketing, publicists work so that the public identifies with brands.
6. Anchor bias, or focus effect: The first information obtained and subsequent decisions are anchored to the first. For example, the one that an offer indicates that a product costs one hundred euros, is not the same as to say: "This product costs 150 euros and you stay at 100 euros"; The mind will anchor the idea that it costs 150 and that obtaining them for the price of one hundred is a great offer.
7. Barnun effect, or personal validation fallacy: It occurs when the information presented is ambiguous, it works for any user, so, who reads it considers that it is aimed for your particular case. This happens frequently in horoscopes, in which information would be worth the same for anyone. In marketing ambiguity is used when the qualities of a product are described And it is tried that the product fits with the particular needs of the user.
8. Hyperbolic discount: Or the belief that "buy now and pay then" will not pass a strong invoice, then, the person focuses on immediate reward or gratification, which is to take the product at once.
9. Denomination effect: or divide spending into small parts, such as when the option of paying “in comfortable fees and interests” is offered ”.
10. Visual association bias: which is related in the way in which sounds and colors influence the user. Many times, this resource is used for the buyer to feel, for example, that he acquires a very good quality product with just observing his presentation.

In addition to these cognitive biases in communication and marketing, there are many others in which many users incur, thus opting for a reasoning that is not rational at all, but which seems to the naked eye.

Retrospective bias: 3 explanations

Bibliography

• Carballo Suñer, J. (2019). Cognitive biases: human and business.
• Flores Villacrés, and. J., Díaz Jiménez, D. D., & Proaño Castro, M. F. (2018). Epistemological marketing approach. University and Society Magazine, 10 (5), 200-206.
• González, J. C. Customer behavior: heuristic and cognitive biases of. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 21, 1161-1166.
• Sebastián, m. Neuroscience, lies and cognitive biases.